The Minister for Education told the Dail he could not justify paying £1.2 million a day to ASTI members while children were not being taught. During a special notice debate on the ASTI teachers' strike, Dr Woods rejected calls by Ms Roisin Shortall, (Lab, Dublin North West) to pay teachers for days on which they were available for teaching but not for supervision.

Dr Woods said: "I do not understand how people who cause schools to be closed to children could expect to be paid." He could not justify to the general taxpayers, "particularly the parents of the children", paying more than £1 million.

Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist, Dublin West) described bench marking as a "crude attempt to force the often brutal methods of the market into the public sector". The Minister rejected this and described the process as a "sophisticated exercise and will apply across the public sector. It is innovative and creative and it can deliver the extra pay that people want".

He reiterated that the ASTI industrial action was "unnecessary" and called on the union to "reconsider its future proposed actions, the effects of this on young people and their parents" and to re-enter the partnership process.

Dr Woods insisted the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF) offered 19.2 per cent pay increase over two years and, combined with tax concessions of 10 per cent, total pay increases would amount to 29.2 per cent.

"There is also provision for an additional 1,400 teaching posts in second-level schools, 1,000 of which are being allocated in the current year." Teachers would be able to press their claim for pay increases through the benchmarking body which is undertaking a fundamental review of public service pay.

The benchmarking body would have its first formal meeting on Monday and "this indicates the urgency with which the Government and the social partners are addressing the new bench marking process".

He agreed that "teachers do very valuable work and should be paid accordingly. That is what I want to achieve and it can be done through the benchmarking process."

However, Ms Shortall said the benchmarking process would not deliver until mid-2003 and that time-scale "is completely unacceptable to teachers". Dr Woods said it would report in June 2002.

Ms Shortall and Mr Enda Kenny, Fine Gael's education spokesman, questioned the Minister about interim measures. Dr Woods said it would be a matter for the PPF to consider interim proposal for implementation across the public service and it was a matter for the PPF to consider such proposals and decide on them.

Mr Trevor Sargent (Green, Dublin North) pointed to a recent OECD report which showed a gap of £8,000 between the earnings of a secondary teacher in Ireland after 15 years' service and the earnings of other graduate employees after the same length of service.

He called on the Minister to ensure that teaching "is not considered the poor man's profession in future".

Dr Woods replied that the OECD report did not take account of the awards for a degree, an honours degree and a higher diploma in education, which are standard in Ireland. "These must be considered if accurate comparisons are to be made."

Mr Joe Higgins said the 19 per cent had been wiped out by inflation before it arrived in the pockets of teachers and other workers. Dr Woods said the 19.2 per cent and the 10 per cent tax deduction would not be wiped out.